Toilets and specifically flush toilets are the most common sanitation fixtures used in the western world for disposal of human urine and feces. A typical flush toilet includes a ceramic bowl (pan) connected to a cistern (tank) that enables rapid filling with water and to a drain pipe for removing the effluent.
Naturally, toilets bowls and specifically bowls of public toilets require fundamental and frequent cleaning and sanitization to prevent bacteria growth and contaminations. Traditionally, toilet bowls have been cleaned, deodorized and disinfected by manual scrubbing with a liquid or powdered cleaning and sanitizing agent. In order to eliminate the manual scrubbing, various toilet bowl cleaner dispensers have been proposed.
One of the popular toilet bowl cleaner dispensers include aerosol deodorizing and/or cleaning agent that is dispensed into a toilet bowl through a conduit attached to the toilet bowl rim. Another well-known toilet bowl cleaners examples include automatic toilet bowl treatment devices. Such automatic devices include fluid reservoir, a pump, and a hanger means such that the entire device may be suspended from a part of a toilet bowl.
An example of a Dispenser device is illustrated in US Patent Application No. 2011/0302705 entitled “Dispenser device in particular a we rinser with fixing means” to Frey et al. The application relates to a release device, in particular toilet freshener, for releasing at least one preparation into the interior of a toilet bowl comprising a dispenser, at least one container connected to the dispenser for storing at least one preparation, a release element for releasing preparation, in particular into the interior of a toilet bowl, the release element being connected in communicating manner to the container via a line and the bottom of the container being arranged above the release orifice of the release element in the direction of gravity, such that a difference in level Δh is formed between the bottom of the container and the release orifice of the release element.
Another example of a dispenser is illustrated in US Patent Application No. 2004/0031091 entitled “Toilet rim dispenser for colored liquid” to Landesberg et al. A liquid rim dispenser intended for suspension from a rim of a toilet bowl adjacent a wall thereof, in the path of flushing water during a flushing operation, comprises a basin with a basin wall and a basin bottom having a bottom opening and a cup with a cup wall and a cup bottom fixed within said basin. The dispenser further comprises a container with a colored staining liquid having a discharge opening facing the bottom of the cup with a predetermined clearance therebetween. The dispenser is so configured that the discharge opening is lower than the cup wall, and the bottom opening is lower than the cup wall and is located remote from the wall of the toilet bowl, and at least when the dispenser is suspended from the bowl rim, the bottom opening is higher than a low portion of the basin bottom.
The prior toilet cleaning instruments can be less than ideal in at least some respects. First, the cleaning and disinfection end result of prior cleaning solutions is incomplete leaving uncleaned areas and areas which were not sufficiently disinfected. Specifically, areas which are not in proximity to the cleaning instrument are typically left unclean. Second, known cleaning devices are insufficient requiring multiple washing cycles till the toilet bowl is properly cleaned. As a result, large amount of water and detergent are wasted resulting in non-saving (e.g. ‘non-green’) device and system. Third, prior devices require external energy support such as electricity connection to improve the instrument efficiency. Forth, the cost of prior toilet cleaning instruments can be greater than would be ideal. Fifth, the prior toilet cleaning instruments can be somewhat bulky, difficult to operate and the cleaning instrument parts require professional handling than would be ideal in at least some instances. Six, the prior toilet cleaning methods and devices require permanent human intervention, sometimes every 3 or 4 hours, such as refilling the cleaning containers, and cleaning specific areas which were not sufficiently cleaned by the cleaning device.
It would therefore be desirable to provide an improved, cheap and easily producible and autonomous toilet cleaning device.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a cleaning device not hinging on external power resources.
It would be further desirable to provide improved, and low-cost integrated cleaning toilet instrument that overcomes at least some of the aforementioned problems with the prior art.